Anyone have any recommendations on starting equipment? Long story short, I always learn something new every month and learning to weld has been on the list for awhile. This month was "make cheese from scratch." So next up its welding, I have a few little welding projects I want to tackle (like fixing that wobbly BBQ), and I figure its about time to learn.

Any info is always appreciated!

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I have a love/borderline obsession with 60-Series Cruisers. I also sell parts and do installs for off-road and on-road racing.

best advice i've gotten was from christo who told me never buy a cheap welder because they don't work and then you get frustrated and don't practice and he was right, i had two crappy welders (one i bought, one i won in a raffle) and i hated them. splurged for a millermatic175 after seeing how treeroot liked his and have been happily welding up stuff since then

best advice i've gotten was from christo who told me never buy a cheap welder because they don't work and then you get frustrated and don't practice and he was right, i had two crappy welders (one i bought, one i won in a raffle) and i hated them. splurged for a millermatic175 after seeing how treeroot liked his and have been happily welding up stuff since then

Agree with Ige... Auto darkening mask, YouTube a few vids, get some scrap metal, and start welding some chunks together. Use a grinder with a flapper disc to grind your welds down and check for air pockets. Use a cut off wheel to cut your welds & check your technique/penetration. Don't start on light weight metal like a BBQ stand- you'll burn through the metal zip ass and have a tri pod stand in no time!

I have a cheap Lincoln 125hd it is a gassless/flux core wire feed I got at Home Depot. I have been happy with it and it didn't cost a whole crap ton of money up front. It has the option of converting to gas in the future, which is why I bought it. Runs off 110

Me, too on the 211. Lincoln has the 180 dual, and is spool gun ready, but for some reason I like Miller better. HF has some cheap auto helmets that seem good for hobby welders. If you're gonna spend the $$$, go Speedglas(9100x). PRACTICE! Ask questions, sometimes it can be something simple like wire speed, or you're out of shielding gas, crappy chinese metal, etc., that is giving you problems.

second the hood part. dont skimp. I have the speedglas 9100x and a jackson nexgen. both great hoods. not sure which i prefer yet. the nexgen has a gold lens so your not looking at a green puddle. I have a bigger miller 252 in my shop and not far from you if you want to run some stuff. Also have an extra hood. just have a funky schedule though.